Hitchballs or ball hitches for connecting to gooseneck arrangements on trailers are usually bolted or permanently welded to the bed of pickup trucks and the like. The hitchball projects above the surface of the pickup truck bed and makes it difficult to lay large items flat in the bed when the pickup truck is not being used to tow trailers.
The prior art shows various arrangements to overcome this problem by providing removable or retractable hitchballs, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,659,876, 3,893,713, 4,256,324, 4,450,194, 4,546,994, 4,570,966, 4,657,274, and 4,921,266. A brief discussion about each follows.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,876 (1972) discloses a trailer hitch ball 15, which is bolted to a pickup truck bed, and it is indicated that the trailer hitch ball may be removed from the truck bed when desired so as not to interfere with other uses of the truck. Such removal, however, appears to require a person to go under the truck bed and to remove the nut secured to the downwardly projecting threaded stud 18, which is formed integral with the trailer hitch ball. The patent also discloses a hitch socket assembly 30, which forms a part of the gooseneck drawbar of a trailer and which is for coupling engagement with the hitch ball 15. A pair of pivotally mounted locking arms 35, 36 are connected to the downward extension 31 of the gooseneck drawbar and serve to lock the drawbar of the trailer to the hitch ball 15 at the reduced diameter neck of the hitch ball when the latter is engaged within the hitch socket assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,713 (1975) discloses, on the other hand, a ball socket of a coupler 30, which is secured below the truck bed where it receives the ball 54 that is connected to a gooseneck trailer instead of being connected to the truck bed. A bed plate 16 is secured to the surface of the pickup truck bed and serves to support the coupler 30 beneath the truck bed. An access door 18 hinged to the bed plate covers up the opening to the coupler when it is not in use to receive the ball 54. A lock plate 32 is slidably connected to the bed plate below the surface of the truck bed and serves to engage the neck of the ball 54 to prevent its retraction from the ball socket of the coupler when engaged therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,324 (1981) discloses a hitch assembly 20, which is pivotally moved from a retracted, recessed position within or below the truck bed to an operative position where the ball hitch member 62 is projecting from the surface of the truck bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,194 (1985) discloses a hitch block 14 having a hitch ball at one end and being pivotally moved into a vertical towing position above the surface of a pickup truck bed or to an inoperative position below the truck bed by a manually controlled cable 38 connected to a pin 32 reciprocably mounted within the opposite end of the hitch block. Upon pulling the cable, the pin 32 is either released from hole 30 or 28 in an arcuate restraining member 24, depending upon whether the hitch block is to be moved to an operative vertical position or to an inoperative horizontal position. A hinged cover 52 is provided to cover the opening in the truck bed when the hitch block is in the inoperative position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,994 (1985l) discloses a flat, rectangular reinforcing bed plate 21 secured on top of the bed of a pickup truck or the like, the reinforcing bed plate having a rectangular hitch support sleeve 22 secured to the center thereof and aligned with a rectangular aperture 23 through the bed plate. A trailer hitch 28 has a base plate 29 and a rectangular post extending therefrom for receipt through the rectangular aperture 23 into the rectangular hitch support sleeve. The trailer hitch shown can readily be replaced with trailer hitches having different configurations, each of which can be safely latched in seated position under the aforementioned hitch support sleeve 22.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,966 (1986) discloses a retractable hitch ball controlled by a hydraulic cylinder operated from the cab of a truck that causes an elevating block 20 to be moved to cam the hitch ball 35 into upward operative position, and in the opposite direction of movement of the block 20, the hitch ball is enabled to be retracted through an opening in the truck bed. A closure plug 42 is provided for the truck bed opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,274 (1987) discloses a ball-like king pin 17, which is vertically reciprocated above and below the flat bed of a vehicle by a hand crank 30 located at an outside edge of the flat bed. The king pin is held in its upward position by a horizontal bolt 32 passing through a hole in the king pin. The bolt is removed from the king pin by a manually operated pull rod extending to the exterior of the vehicle so as to lower the king pin to the interior of the truck bed out of the way so that there will be no protrusions in the flat bed of the truck.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,266 (1990) discloses a fifth wheel hammer ball for gooseneck trailers. A removable ball coupling 18 has a threaded shaft 58, which is designed to be threadably received within an annular apertured hammer ball base plate 42. The latter forms a disk-like collar member 44, which is secured to the truck bed. The ball coupling is installed or "uninstalled" by an operator using a hammer in one direction or the other against outwardly projecting ears 64 connected to the ball coupling to tighten or loosen the threaded connection between the threaded shaft 58 of the ball coupling and the disk-like collar member 44.